Facebook Tuning Up TV Strategy: Report

Facebook is working on a new video-focused app for the Apple TV, set-tops and other TV-connected devices as part of a strategy focused on grabbing more video ad dollars, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Facebook already does some limited app integration on platforms like Comcast’s X1 platform and Roku boxes, but the new strategy appears to have much bigger TV implications.

Facebook has been upfront about interest in evolving into a “video-first” company. “Facebook is “prioritizing putting video first across our family of apps,” company CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on the company’s Q3 call last November. Examples include Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, 360-degree video, and other video-focused activity delivered on its various platforms.

But according to the WSJ, Facebook is also talking to media companies about licensing “long-form, TV-quality programming,” holding that a set-top box represents an appropriate conduit for that kind of fare.